LoginDo standard driverβs licenses prove US citizenship?
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No.
Standard driverβs licenses are not proof of U.S. citizenship.
Enhanced driverβs licenses, which require documents such as a birth certificate or passport, provide proof. Intended for use in U.S. border crossing by vehicle, they are available in Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington.
Citizenship is required to vote in federal, state and the vast majority of local elections.Β
To register to vote, people in Wisconsin and most states must declare citizenship, under penalty of perjury. Proof isnβt required.
A 2024 lawsuit sought to require the Wisconsin Elections Commission to verify citizenship for voting. The commission argued that no state law requires citizenship proof.
A judge Oct. 3 ordered the commission to determine whether any noncitizens are registered to vote and to stop accepting voter registrations without verifying citizenship. The state is challenging the order.
Audits have found that very few registered voters are noncitizens.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Michigan Department of State: Enhanced license and ID
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security: Enhanced Drivers Licenses: What Are They?
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: Voter Registration and Voter List Maintenance Fact Sheet
- Wisconsin Watch: Has the District of Columbia adopted a law allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections?
- USA.gov: Who can and cannot vote
- Bipartisan Policy Center: Four Things to Know about Noncitizen Voting
- Ballotpedia: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States
- Votebeat: Wisconsin must verify citizenship of registered voters and new applicants, judge rules
- Waukesha County Circuit Court: Decision and Order
- Votebeat: Wisconsin Elections Commission challenges order requiring voter citizenship checks
- Waukesha County Circuit Court: Order β Renewed Motion for Stay Pending Appeal
- Bipartisan Policy Center: Modernizing Voter List Maintenance
Do standard driverβs licenses prove US citizenship? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
